The Princess and the Frog
by petals-to-fish
Summary: Lily's heart almost lept into her throat as she stared at the frog in horror. She'd felt his hands, soft in her own. She'd admired his eyes, dark and inviting when he'd asked her to dance. She'd memorized the sharp curve of his jaw. Prince James was most definitely not a frog. And yet...


Due to jily challenge rules I couldn't make this story a multi chapter but perhaps one day when I have more time (and less prompts sitting on my to-do list) I will come back and explore this universe a little more.

 **Jily Challenge for April- Disney Jily: Princess and the Frog**

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"But Princess Lily, you said _later_ two hours ago..."

Lily dropped her hand from her hip and turned on her heel to stare at the boy standing next to her with pleading black eyes. He had a curtain of black hair that stayed permanently stuck to his forehead thanks to lack of hygiene and his hook nose wobbled when he begged. Lily tugged at her skirts as she avoided his gaze.

"Mr. Snape." Lily said disparagingly, "When a woman says later, she actually means not ever." Snape sputtered and Lily continued, "Now run along, there are plenty of other ladies here dying to be waltzed into a coma."

Snpe sulked away, glancing back at Lily with disdain. Lily wasn't paying any attention, her eyes had drifted back to the middle of the dance floor where Petunia was waltzing with tall and handsome Prince James. He was from across the sea and his tan skin reflected the time he spent in the sun at his kingdom of Maldonia. His dark black hair was thick and his curls looked windswept, as if he'd just stepped off his horse. As he dipped Petunia in her puffy pink gown his hazel eyes glanced over Petunia's pin curls. His eyes searched the crowd before they halted on what they'd been seeking so desperately.

Lily should've looked away, should've looked down at her toes, peeking out from underneath her golden gown. Lily wasn't the heir, she was the spare Princess with no land, just a title.

As the oldest, Petunia was the heir to the Cokeworths throne and as such, was Prince James' intended. As the ballgowns swept across the marbled floor in time to the violens James' eyes stared at Lily sinfully, despite another Princess in his arms.

"Give me that glass." Lily said despairingly to her friend and lady Marlene McKinnon, grabbing the glass full of wine from Marlene's dainty fingertips.

"What on earth, Lily?" Marlene said as Lily took a giant (and regretfully un-princess-like) swing of her glass.

Lily swallowed and admitted with gusto, "It's Prince James, he was staring _again_."

"ohhhh, again." Marlene waggled her eyebrows as Lily's fingers dipped the constants of the glass back into her mouth, "Perhaps he'll ditch your sister and court you instead."

 _"One could only hope."_

As the music grew faster in tempo and the glasses filled magically with Cokeworths prized wine Lily tried to get her mind off the wandering eyes of the Prince by dancing with her ladies. Her fingers were wrapped in the silk folds of her dress as she twirled in constant circles, growing dizzy as she stared up at the candle lit ceiling. The flashes of burning light were mesmerizing and the music combined with the alcohol made her feel as if she were flying. Suddenly, she felt two hands slip around her waist and suddenly she really was flying. She was soaring above the other party guests, her red curls bouncing against her shoulders.

When the firm hands let her feet lightly touch the floor again Lily was brought face to face with the Prince of Maldonia himself. He kept his fingers tight around her waist, his thumbs pressing into her hips as he swept them along the dance floor in a swift motion.

She loved the smile that lifted the corners of his mouth, creating dimples on his face, "Fancy a dance, Princess?"

Lily's eyes left his face to travel down to the tan hand reaching out for her. After pausing to consider her options and the consequences of her actions, Lily took his hand without reservation. Their fingers laced together as their eyes met. His other hand draped around her waist, tugging her into his side before sweeping her into a waltz. She laughed as he spun them around the room with a mischievous look in his eyes. They danced through couples and servants, James twirling Lily until she was forced to hold onto his shoulders tightly, the world was spinning so fast.

James seemed to sense she was getting dizzy for he slowed down their waltz into a sway. Lily's skirts bunched up around her legs but she didn't care, not while she had her chin resting on James shoulders and her hand still curled into his.

"You are prettier than a magnolia in May." he told her boldly, once she'd pulled her chin from his shoulder.

Their fingers curled together even tighter and Lily's eyes didn't leave his face, "Shouldn't you be dancing with my sister?"

"Your sister can spare one more dance." he replied before setting them into a spin, causing Lily's skirts toe flare out dramatically.

"She won't be happy," Lily warned, "She expects all the attention to be on her."

"If it took upsetting your sister for us to meet," he replied, "Then so be it."

"My sister is lucky to have a suitor so charming,"

Prince James opened his mouth to respond, his face leaning a little closer to hers, when they were interrupted in the middle of the dance floor. Lily half expected her sister but was surprised to see a balding man with a top hat puffing in their direction. James didn't let go of her hand as they turned to face the man demanding their attention.

"I have been looking for you everywhere." the man said, shooting Lily a disapproving glare.

"What a coincidence Peter." James said with a tinge of annoyance on his tone, "I have been _avoiding_ you everywhere."

Lily giggled impolitely and both men looked at her. James with a look of adoration and Peter with a look of scorn emphasized by the wrinkle of his nose.

"But sir-"

"Nope."

"Sir-"

"Princess, have you seen the gardens?" James asked loudly, pulling Lily through a sea of ball gowns to escape the balding man.

"I live here."

"Well I don't." James seemed annoyed, "show me the gardens."

Lily considered James' hard face, so different from when they'd been dancing moment before. She did as he asked and guided him out the ballroom and through the many corridors of the castle. She didn't speak to him again until they were outside in the cool Cokeworths air, the gardens rising up around them like a shield against the world.

'Who was that man?"

"My majordomo." James sighed, his fingers tapping against her palm, "He's a giant pain in my arse since he thinks he's got to babysit me every five seconds."

"Why does he think that?"

"The King and Queen told him to make sure I didn't botch up this alliance." James confessed, "We need your kingdom to strengthen our trade and in order to do that, I'm supposed to woo and marry your sister."

Lily eyed him, "A marriage for spices?"

"Profit for both kingdoms." James reminded her, "We provide the spices and your kingdom distributes them with your trade routes."

"You've thought long and hard about this."

"No," James interrupted, "My council thought long and hard about this."

"You don't seem to think much about marrying my sister." she said hopefully.

"To be honest Princess Lily, all I've thinking about since I landed in your Kingdom is how lovely you are." he whispered.

"Is that so bad?"

"According to my advisors the only eligible Princess in Cokeworths is your sister." James said, anger lifting his voice.

Lily swallowed, "I mean...she'll be queen one day...and all I'm destined for is marriage to a duke and having children to pass on a title I don't even hold myself."

"You have the makings of a queen." James said firmly, "Not a housewife."

She tried to ignore the way her heart thumped from his praise so she looked up at the sky. James followed her gaze and their eyes searched the sparkling outline of the milky way across the sky. To their left, a star blazed through the navy sky and Lily made a wish as James heald her tight.

"Shooting stars always shine so bright." Lily said softly, "I wonder where they go when they fall?"

"They fall into the sea back home," he said, bringing Lily back to earth with his words, "The ocean floor is covered in fallen stars."  
"I'd like to see that."

"Out of all the stars in the galaxy, you shine the brightest in my eyes." There was magic in James' words and the spell floated softly between them, creating a romantic atmosphere that had Lily tingling to the tips of her toes. "I'd fill a room with stars," James declared, "If it meant you'd come back to Maldonia with me."

It was everything she wanted but it was everything she couldn't have. James was promised to her sister and she couldn't come in between her sister's happiness just because of an attraction to the Prince in front of her. Lily swallowed as James lifted his spare hand to brush his fingers alongside her cheek adoringly.

"Say something." he pleaded, hazel eyes smouldering.

"I-"

"Prince James!"

James cursed, his majordomo had found them again. The man cut between the two and Lily stumbled backwards, her heels digging into the dirt sharply. James' hands were free and one of them lifted to rest in his messy hair.

"Peter." Prince James said in frustration, "Give a bloke some space."

"You are wooing the _wrong_ Princess." Peter hissed angrily, "You are meant to be charming Petunia. She's the one with the land. She's the one with the power." Peter's hands motioned back to Lily, standing behind the man like a frozen statue, "This one has no lands, no power, and is destined to marry a duke or a noble of lesser importance!"

Lily had to turn and run before she allowed tears to graze her cheeks in front of the Prince...

Instead she lay in her bed in her ballgown, now heavy against her chest, as she cried alone in the darkness of her room. The pillows under her face were quieting her soft cries as she felt the retribution of being born second.

"Lily?"

The soft and comforting tone of her sister's voice entered the room and Lily lay very still, so as not to give away that she was awake. Petunia only stayed at her door for a moment before disappearing. Lily heard Petunia's heels clacking against the floor as she went to her own room across the hall.

The next morning Lily resolved that if she couldn't have James, so be it. As long as Petunia married James, at least he'd still be in her life. At least Petunia would be his wife.

She'd convinced herself that she would be okay with Petunia marrying James.

She'd convinced herself that she couldn't have feelings for Prince James.

Her willpower lasted about three seconds when she'd walked into the doorway of the dining hall. Her parents sat at the front of the table eating their porridge as was usual, but instead of Petunia sitting alone at the other end-she was sitting with none other than Prince James. He was a guest, it wasn't surprising to find him sitting at the breakfast table...what was shocking was the way he had one of his fingers tucked under Petunia's sharp chin.

Lily didn't remember running from the hall nor did she recall hearing her sister call out for her as she ran. The only thing she knew was her skirts being tugged at by thorny bushes as she ran beyond the castle gardens and into the forest where her father hunted stags. Her silk slippers were covered in mud and her hair was probably in every which direction on her head but she didn't care.

The only thing she cared about was the intimate way Prince James was caressing her sister.

She had to admit that she never thought she could ever be so jealous in her entire life.

"Princess."

She thought she imagined it at first, the deep croak coming from her right. Lily paused in her furious steps along the hunting trail, her green eyes fluttering around. She supposed a knight had followed her for protection but she would've heard the clanking of his armor were that the case.

"Princess."

There it was again, the deep croak from beside the dark blue pond. Lily was never under the impression that a pond could talk-until she had seen something move by a rock out of the corner of her eye. Lily paused as she stared down at the frog sitting on the stump like a human would sit on a throne.

"Pardon?"

It was the most ridiculous thing she had ever done, speak to a frog and expect it to answer.

What was even more ridiculous was when it answered back.

"Princess Lily?" the frog croaked.

"Uhm, yes?" Lily pushed her red hair back as she leaned over to get a better look at the green amphibian speaking to her on the stump by the pond, "How are you speaking to me?"

"The only thing I know is that once minute I am a Prince, charming and handsome, cutting-a-rug, and the next thing I know I am tripping over these." he wiggled his green toes and Lily pinched her thigh to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"I've gone mad." she whispered, overwhelmed.

"No," the frog stood up on two legs and waved his hand dramatically, "Please, I am Prince James."

"Prince James?"

Lily's heart almost lept into her throat as she stared at the frog in horror.

She'd felt his hands, soft in her own.

She'd admired his eyes, dark and inviting when he'd asked her to dance.

She'd memorized the sharp curve of his jaw.

Prince James was most definitely not a frog.

"I happen to know that Prince James is currently up at the castle right now having breakfast with my sister."

"That's not me." the frog pleaded, "Princess, you must believe me."

"I cannot believe a talking frog," Lily said in disgust, "After all, this might just be a horrible dream."

"It's not a dream, Princess," the frog demanded seriously, "I've been cursed!"

"And how was this curse placed upon you?" Lily asked doubtfully.

"A man offered to read my fortune on my way back to the ballroom." The frog said.

"And you told him yes?"  
"He was very charismatic!" the frog exclaimed, "He said he could help me fix my problems!"

"Voodoo?" Lily hissed, remembering the man who waltzed in the shadows of the castle tricking people into his dark magic, "You mean to tell me all this happened because you were messing with the Shadow Man?"

The frog nodded solemnly, "He turned me into a frog and someone is up there right now schmoozing your sister-when the only one in Cokeworths I want to marry is you!"

"Me?"

"I told you." the frog's eyes were downcast, "I'd fill a room with stars just for you."

Lily knew it was James now. She knelt down, holding out her hands and allowing him to hop into them.

She wrinkled her nose when she felt his slimy feet on her fingers, "Gross, slimy."

"I have news for you," he laughed, "It's not slime-it's mucus!"

"Don't make me drop you."

The frog-James-puffed out his chest, "You know this Shadow Man?"

"I know of him." Lily said, "I've never come into contact with him, he doesn't typically come into the castle-too many guards."

"Someone must've paid him." James determined, "To sabotage my alliance."

"Why would someone replace you with a doppelganger schmoozing my sister if they are trying to ruin the alliance between our kingdoms?"

The space where James' eyebrows would've been wrinkled as the frog version of him thought, "Well," he said, "Maybe the doppelganger was placed there to hurt your sister."

"Why would they want to hurt Petunia?"

"She's the heir and if anything happens to her because of my doppelganger then war between our two Kingdoms could break out."

Lily blinked, "Oh no," she whispered to the frog, "James, we have to get back to the castle."

James guestured down at himself, "In case you've forgotten, I'm a frog, not a Prince."

Lily bit her lip, fretting as she realized he was right, "How do we break the curse?"

James thought for a moment before he said, "Did your nursemaids read you fairytales?"

"No, but the faeries told us tales." Lily recalled night spent with her sister in the nursery as faeries sang them to sleep, "Why?"

James looked impressed, "Real faeries?"

"Yes, don't you have them?"

James shook his head croaking, "No and we don't have Voodoo Shadow Men either."

"Maldonia must be very boring."

"We do have mermaids." the frog countered, "but they sink our spice ships which is why we're hoping to use your trade routes instead."

"I think I'd rather deal with mermaid magic than voodoo magic."

"Me too." James agreed solemnly, "But I think I know a way to fix this."

"How?"

"You must kiss me."

"I don't kiss frogs."

James ushered, "It's the only thing that works in the stories."

"What stories?"

"Like Sleeping Beauty!" James said, "The Prince kisses the cursed sleeping Princess and she wakes up from her everlasting sleep! In Snow White the Prince kisses her and she's no longer poisoned!"

"You actually believe that a kiss can break your curse?"

"I'll believe anything that gets me out of this green suit and back into your arms."

"Okay." she gritted her teeth, "I'll do it."

James's frog lips puckered and Lily raised her hands to chin level so she could stare at the frog in her palms. She had never imagined in her wildest dreams that she'd ever be willing to kiss a frog. Closing her eyes tight and holding her breath, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against the frog, immediately shuddering from the clammy feeling of frog skin. Only moments after he lips made contact there was a flash of light behind her eyelids and Lily's eyes flashed open just as she was thrown to the ground.

The light was coming from the frog that had fallen from her hands. It floated in the air, golden sparkles lighting up the green skin as the body stretched and sprouted hair. His clothes were the same that he'd been wearing to the ball as he fell to the ground beside her. They stared at each other for a few moments as the golden magic settled around them.

"We have to go figure out who is impersonating me." James whispered.

"Perhaps now that you're human again," Lily thought out loud, "that means that your imposter is himself again to."

"Perhaps," James said, "But I don't want to risk the chance that someone using my name might try to marry the wrong Princess."

Then, without any warning, Prince James leaned into her space and pressed his lips firmly against hers. His fingers were soft as they tucked under her chin to bring her closer. Lily's eyes closed slowly in reaction to his chaste kiss. Lily's fingers looped in the black strands of hair on his neck, feeling an entirely different kind of magic float between them.

James pulled away first, pressing his forehead to hers.

"This'll be a new tale for your faeries to tell."

"What tale?" she asked, slightly perplexed by his words since her brain was still locked on their shared kiss.

"The Princess and the Frog."

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Let me know if you love it or hate it or can't rate it. I'm working on a few other stories which should be accessible on your screens in less than a month.

All my love,

Petals


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